Means for sinking concrete piles



`May 8, 1923.

E. G. GARDNER MEANS FOR SINKING CONCRETE PILES j j, (I. I:

4 Sheets-*Sheet 2 E. G. GARDNER MEANS FOR SINKING CONCRETE PILES Filed Dec. 5, 1919 13 @Jaim/naw E.G.GARDN|:R`

MEANS FOR SINKING CONCRETE PILES May 8, 1923:

, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 5

noenloz nog May 8, 1923. 1,454,434

E. G. GARDNER MEANS FOR SINKING CONCRETE PILES Filed Dec. 5, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 8, l923.

narran stares i ,asian ERNEST orti/[ORE GARDNER, or BROOKLYN, NEW YoRK.

MEANS FOR srnizrne ooNoRnrn rinus.

Application filed December 5, 1919.

,To all w iom t may concer/n Be it known that l, ERNEST GILMORE Garonne, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of lings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Means for Sinking Concrete Files, of which the following is a specification.

lnthe sinking or driving of concrete piles it is the common practice to form the pile by driving a tubular metal shell having its lower' end covered with a cap or closure into the earth and to either ll the shell with concrete in a plastic condition before it hasbeen driven into the ground or after it has been driven. The shell is then withdrawn leaving the concreterwithin the hole formed, either immediately after the driving operation is completed or is allowed to remain for a sufficient time for the concrete to partialy set7 depending upon the nature of the soil. f y

As the pile shells have heretofore been constructed, many diiiiculties have been encountered in the withdrawal of the shell, for due vto the adhesion between the concrete and the interior of the shell, the power required for withdrawing the shell is very great, and it is frequently necessary to deliver a number of downward blows upon the concrete as the power is exerted upon the shell, to loosen the shell from the concrete, again as the shell is beinf withdrawn, it frequently happens that the upper portions 0f the concrete are carried upwardly away from thelower portions thereby resulting in the formation of voids.

The principal object of this invention therefore, is to provide a new and improved construction of a pile shell which will obviate the difficulties hereinbefore enumerated. y

A further object is to provide means whereby air may be supplied to the earth cavity for preventing .the formation of a vucuum beneath the withdrawing shell.

A further object is to provide a pile shell inadeof detachably connected sections in order that the length of the pile may be made in accordance with requirements.V

For the accomplishment of these and such further objects as will hereinafter be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this appertains, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrange- Serial No. 342,636.

menti of parts herein specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown a preferred embodiy ment of the invention, but it is tobe underi stood that changes,l variations and modifica- ,tionsv be resorted to which fallcwithin the scope of the claims hereunto appended. Figure l is aY longitudinal sectional view thru a pile shell constructed in accordance with this invention. f

Figure 2 is a similar viewillustrating the effect .of withdrawing the shell after the con.- crete material has been placed therein. v

Figure 3 is a longitudin-als'ectional view thru a pile of this invention formed of a plurality of superposed sections.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary .de-

tail vview illustrating the manner of connecting together the sections of the shell shown in Fig. 3. l

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pile shell illustrating a modified construction.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view i taken upon the plane of line VI of Fig.y ,5.

Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view illustrating a further modification.

Figure 8 is a similar transverse sectional Figure 12-is a transverse sectional View thru a pile shell constructed in accordance l with this invention, and being of a different cross sectional contour from the cross sections illustrated in the other Figsa and Figs. 18 to 19 illustrate the manne-r of em- ,y

ploying this vinvention in vconnection with the use of pre-cast piles.

Referring to they drawings, the reference character Lindicates. a pile shell which may be of any. appropriate cross section but usually is circular as seen in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. The lower end ofthe shell L is provided with a driving point G arranged to close its lower end andvto serve as means Ito facilitate .enfl trance of the shellvinto the earth during.y

the driving operation.

Une of the essential characteristics of the lll).

shell of this invention consists in making the same tapered interiorly so that its inner diameter at the lower end, as at l, is lgreater than the inner diameter at the upper end, as at 9. rlhe interior surface ol: the shell is preferably smooth and the taper is gradual and unitorm from end to end. The exterior diameter of the shell may also be tapered, if desired, so that the exterior diameter at the top is greater than the eX- terior diameter at the bottom, but this is ordinarily not necessary.

ln using this shell the concrete material, as l-l, is placed therein, either before or alter the shell is driven into the earth, and is preferably allowed to remain undisturbed Jor a su'liicient period to allow the concrete material to set sutl'iciently to enable it to maintain its own pile formation. rlhe shell is then withdrawn, as suggested by 2. ln withdrawingA the shell the natural result of the interiorly tapering' shaped shell is that all portions of the interior surface oit the shell will move in a direction away .trom the surface of thel concrete material with the initial upward movement ot 'the shell, and as the upward movement of the shell pro- `@,resses the space between the concrete material and the shell will gradually increase.

After the shell has been withdrawn the surrounding earth naturally 'falls in against the column oit concrete and lills 'the space left by the withdrawal oic the shell.

lt should be noted here that this invention is not to be understood as limited in any way to the idea` of allowing),` the concrete material to set before withdrawinggA the shell for it is obvious that the shell mipliht be thdrawn immediately after the concrete material is poured thereinto. ln tact this procedure has a certain advantage which is important; namely, ot allowing .the concrete material itself to spread into the space lett by the removal of the shell. A better bond-is thus adiorded between the column and the surroundingearth. ln this instance detachment oli' the shell from the sides of the column of concrete material is, oit course, exactly the same as before altho the concrete material, being` sott, will follow to a certain extent and maintain Contact with the shell but the pressure oi the concrete material ao'ainst the surface o'j theshell, however, will naturally be Lgreatly relieved and there will be little or no e'te-ctive tendency tor the shell to lift away upper portiers ot 'the concrete material.

Suitable means such as the open" be provided to facilitate the lith the shell.

s illustrated in made up ot a plural tions, as l, 5-v an.v 6, nected together pref in Fic'. il. ln using the olurality` o' sections the section 4l is driven into the earth and iilled with concrete material betere the next section 5 is connected, section 5 is then connected and the connected sections are then driven until the shell is sunlr to the desired depth, alter which section 5 is lillesl with concrete. lhe section G is now connected and likewise driven anc` lilled. Any appropriate number ot sections may in this way be connected according to the depth to which the bottom of t 1e pile should be ex'- tended. .ell ot the sections thus connected tapered interiorly so that the taper ein tends continuously "from the upper to the lower end of the pile, and the interior diameters at the lower end ot each section corresponds with the interior diameter oit the upper end or the adjacent section.

ln Figs. 5 and 6 is illustrated a simple method oi" producing` the interiorly tapered shells. fhis consists oi providingl an outer cylinder T, which may be a length of ordinary pipe or tubing is of substantially uni- :torni diameter and thickness thruout and, then providing an inner cylinder' S which is tapered and fitted into the cylinder T. livets or other appropriate means, as 9, may e provided for connecting' the two cylinders ogether.

lhe cylinder 8 may convenient-ly be provided from a piece sheet metal whichhas been rolled to a tapered thickness, the sheet being;` bent around so as to lit into the cylinfr Y, the-cylinder 7 serving to hold the cylnder 8 in its correct condicion at all times.

ln littin` the cylinder 8 into the cylinder .7 it is desirable to provide a small space, as indicated at l0, between the longitudinal edges ot the sheet from which the cylinder 8 is formed so that when the cylinder 8 is in position within the cylinder fr" said space will constitute groove entendidov the lull length ot the shell. v`he provision olf this groove permits admission of air downwardly to avoid the formation ol a vacuum beneath lower end of the shell while the shell is being` lifted out, thus enabling the shell to be much more easily removed.

ln F 7 is illustrated cross section which corresponds to Fin'. 6 but beine; taken thru rshell which is made of a single thickoi material, in which one or more grooves, ll, may be provided longitudi lv thereo'lz to seve the same purpose :is the groove l0.

ln the modiiicationshown in Fie'. S th-.'- hell may be made oil inner and outer cvlinrs, and il, similar to those shoii'n in cespect to 5 and 6, and one of said cil- `ndcrs, for instance the inner cylinder lil. have thegrooves l2 cut therein in its p e which lies against the surface et r this way the concrete 1er cylinder. ln r al within the shell is kept, away f1.0, n

llO

the pasages so :that a better circulation 4of air downwardly to the bottom of the shell yis assured.

air may flow to the 4bottom ofthe cylinder whether the above mentioned grooves between said surfaces are provided or not.

Tn the modification shown in Figs. 9 to 11 outer cylinder 7 may be similar tothe outer lcylinder in Fig. 5 while the inner cylinder,

as v13, is made up from a piece, as 16, of ordinary sheet metal or other suitable vmaterial of uni-form thickness -cut to yappropriate shape, as shown in Fig. A10, and then Arolled into cylindrical form with yits inclined edges 17 abutting` together so that the tapered cylinder 13 is produced. The mating edges Vof this cylinder 'may be connected in any appropriate manner, if desired, and the lower end isfo'f an external diameter to fit neatly within Vthe-lower end of the cylinder 7.

Any suitable means may be employed lfor holding the cylinder 13 in appropriate concentric position within the cylinder 7 and for this purpose a plurality of rings -18 arranged between `the two cylinders at spaced intervals along` 'the length thereof.

It should beihere lmentioned that a certain advantage might be attained yby connecting the rings rto the cylinder 13; namely, that after a shell and its 2contents of concrete material are in position within the earth the shell 13, carrying saidJrings, may be rst lifted away, leaving the cylinder 7 undisturbed. Thereafter the vcylinder-7 may be removed. This -method of procedure may be a desirable one in dealing with certain classes of earth, for instance, where it is desired to hold back the earth until the concrete has become fully set 'after the removal of the cylinder 13, or where for any other reason it lis desirable to withdraw the inner cylinder falone.

The cylinders 7 and 8 in Fig. 5 may be disconnectible from each other to thesame purpose if desired.

Suitable openings, 19, may be provided thru the rings v18 :for the free circulation -of air. These openings "may be directly thru vthe material of the rings themselves, or they may be made to occur between the rings and the adjacent surfaces of the cylinders. i The natural unevenness of the two cylinders at their lower ends will provide a suitable opening, as 20, atthis point thru lwhich air may enter the space beneath the receding parts during the removal ofthe shell.

An annular-cover piece, 21 Ahaving a 'cenvtral aperture 22, is provided for covering the space between lthe yupper lends of the 'Teylinders 7 and 13 and for receiving such blows as may be applied for drivingthe shell into `the earth. This cover piece may be made detachable to facilitate the independent removal ,of the cylinders if desired, and an opening 23 may be provided either thru the cover `piece 19 or thru the adjacent wall portion of one ofthe cylinders for `thevfcircula-` tion of air into the space 'between 'the 'two cylinders. It is 'to be noted further in connection with this invention that the :shell herein lsliownfand described maybe 'readily and successfully employed in connection with "the Amakingand sinking of pre-cast piles:

Shells constructed in accordance withthis invention ymay `be appropriately supported above :ground and employed as moulds for the .formation of `any number of ypre-cast piles and the concrete materal be placed within and allowed to set. Then 'theshelfls'may be removed 'by simply 'drawinglthemofl' longitudinally from the fhardconcrete. lf desired the concrete vmay be reinforced by 4bars or other devices A2li extending longitudinally therethru and placed within the mould before the introduction of the concrete matetrial.

The taper ofthe interiorpofthe shell `fwill greatly facilitate the removal olf 'the shel after the concrete Ihas hardened.

The same shells which were used Aas moulds, `or other similar shells, lmay then ybe used for driving the pre-cast piles into fthe earth, 'the shells being simply telescoped over the piles and Ione of the driving points 'G being aiiiXed at 'the lower fend. 'The blows necessary rfor driving the pile may .be Vdelivered upon the upper lannular' edge of the 105 shell so as to protect the concrete material during the driving operation, or a suitable driving head, 25, may be pla-ced over the yuper end offtheshell to directly receive the 'hammer blows.

After the pile is driven the-shell may be removed as `has already been set-forth.

It should be added that in pre-casting the piles the moulds employed, may, if desired, be of much lighter' and cheaper construction A1'15 than the shells which are employed for the driving operation, as suggested by "the light shell 26 which is yof uniform thickness illustrated in Fig. 13, the prime requirement being simply that 'the vcompleted pre-cast F120 piles, as seen in Fig. 14,beof such an er:- terior size and shape as to properly fit within the driving shells.

`Where set, or hardened, concrete is being dealt with, as in the case of pre-cast gpiles, vthe driving shell may be forced downwardlv over the hard surface of the pile until a desirable resistance is encountered by 'theltaper of the shell. Then the driving head-25 vmay be placed in position over the upper end "of i130.

the shell and if not in actual contact with the upper end of the body of concrete suitable fillers, as 27 may be interposed so that the blows which are ultimately struck upon the driving head are transmitted partly to the shell and partly to the body of concrete. The resistance offered by the interior tapered surface of the engagement of the shell with the whole exterior surface of the pile will absorb a very considerable proportion of the power of the blows and thus will lessen the possibility of injury to the conc-rete such as might occur if the full force of the blows was applied directly to the upper end of the concrete body.

In both cases the vibration of the shell under the repeated hammer blows used in the driving operation is sucient to maintain the shell suitably loosened from the concrete and thereby enable the easy removal of the shell.

Just before endeavoring to remove the shell from the body of concrete the driving head may be removed and suitable blows dealt the concrete body for further loosening the concrete from the shell.

ln using the shells as moulds for pre-cast piles, the lower ends of the shells may, desired, be closed by a simple sheet metal cap member, 28, or by cone shaped cap members, as 29, Fig. 16. By using the cone-shaped cap members the lower end of the completed pile Will be pointed, as indicated at 80, in Fig. 17. Pointed piles of this kind may be used with the tapered driving shells L and Without the use of the metallic driving points Gr, as suggested by the illustration Fig. 18. In this instance the lower annular edge of the driving` shell, as at 31, is preferably bevelled to correspond with the incline of the point of thel pile and to thus facilitate the entry of the pile and the shell into the earth.

lf desired a light metal cover, as 32, may be provided for covering the point 30 of the concrete and for providing a smoother surface for entry in to the earth.

ln Fig. 12 is illustrated a pile shell which is of rectangular cross section, and it is understood that the Walls of this shell are tapered longitudinally from end to end substantially as has been already described. Fig. 12 also introduces certain irregularities, as indicatedv at 33 and 34 in said igure, the irregularity 33 consisting of a rib extending longitudinally of the pile at one side, While the irregularity 3d consists of a longitudinal groove-shaped portion at the opposite side of the shell. nEhe interior Walls of each of these parts, of course, tapers the same as the main Walls so that the Whole of the interior of the shell tapers gradually and reduces in size toward the upper end of the shell.

Files made by the use of shells such as are indicated in Fig. 12 may be driven in such close proiiimity to each other that the rib 24 formed by the part 33 of one pile Will engage Within the groove formed by the part 84 of the adjacent pile and thus produce a continuous Wall.

Driving shells of this character may be employed either for the casting of piles Within the earth or for the sinking of.' pre-cast piles.

Retaining Walls, Jfoundation Walls, etc., or even ordinary building Walls, may be produced in this manner, and the taper of the shells used in forming the independent piles Will enable the removal of the shells with such efficiency as to leave the piles in proper condition for effectively co-operating with each other to provide a continuous bond hetween the piles such as has not been possible of attainment With the use of pile shells as heretofore employed.

lWherever in the claims hereto appended the pile shell is referred to, it is to be understood that this shell may be either of circular cross section or of rectangular cross section unless specifically described, as being of rectangular cross sectionpalso that it may contain irregularities in its cross section such as are suggested for example by theI parts 33 and 84 in Fig. 12 of the drawinf Of course Vother forms of irregularituY or other cross sectional contours may be employed all within the scope of the claims.

As indicated at 35 in Fig. 10, the edge portions of the sheet 16 may be bevelled off so as to insure the formation of an air passage at the point 2O When the sheet is rolled into cylindrical form.

As many changes could be made in this construction Without departing from the scope of the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A pile shell which is of constant ei:- terior diameter and which is of greater thickness at its upper end than at its loWe` end so that its interior diameter is less at its upper end than at its lower end.

2. A pile shell which is of substantially constant exterior diameter and Which is of uniformly tapered interior diameter,

3. A pile shell consisting of an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, the outer cylinder being ofl substantially constant dimensions thruout and the inner cylinder being tapered so that its inner diameter is less at the upper end of the shell than at the lower end of the shell.

4:. A pile shell comprising a cylindrical member of constant dimensions thruout its length, and means fitted thereinto provid- 6. A pile shell comprising an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder, the inner cylinder being tapered from a les'ser to a greater diameter toward its lower end, and means for maintaining said cylinders substantially concentric.

In testimony Wliereoi:l I aliixmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ERNEST GILMORE GARDNER.4 l/Vitnesses L. Gnssronn HANDY,

MAY SCHULZ. 

